Manner of retaining in any desired position the slats of venetian



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

JOHN HAMPSON, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

MANNER 0F RETAINING IN ANY DESIRED POSITION THE SLA'IS OF VENETIAN BLINDS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 2,223, dated August 21, 1841.

To all wimm- 25 may concern Be it known that I, JOHN HAMPsoN, of the city of New Orleans, State of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Ordinary Movable-Slat Venetian Shutter oir-Blind; and I do hereby declare that the following is a. full and eXact description thereof.

My invention consists of so arranging and adding to the ordinary (movable slat,) Venetian shutter, or blind, so as to make the l slats, fit tight endwise; so that they will stay, in any position in which they may be placed, without catch orv stop, and so as, to prevent them from rattling, or jarring in ease of the said blinds being used in carriages or railroad cars.

In the accompanying drawing similar letters refer to similar parts.

Figure l is a representation of my improved blind, or shutter, with the part wherein my improvement consists shown in section, the frame is made in the ordinary manner, except that the inner edge of one side is rabbeted so as to allow a movable strip, a, a, of any suitable size and material, to be placed therein, holes are made in this strip for the pivots, or journals, of one end of the slats, to work in, shown at, c, e, between the strip and the frame and likewise in the rabbet, are fixed arequisite number of springs, Z2, b, b, to keep the strip, a, close up to the ends or shoulders of the slats, with a moderate degree of pressure thereby making the slats fit tight endwise, so as to prevent them from rattling when used in carriages or railroad cars, and so that the slats will remain in any position which they may be placed in, without catch or stop, which can all be done with (comparatively) small springs. c, c, c, are screws to fasten the springs in their places; to keep the strip in its place also to hide or inclose the springs, a plate, CZ, CZ, of any suitable material is fastened on the frame, so that the strip works between the plate and the side of the rabbet.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the blind showing at, F, the pivot or journal, e, of a slat inserted in the strip, a, also the space between the side of the frame and the strip, for the springs, likewise the plate, CZ, that keeps the strip in its place.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the blind through any part of the slats, showing the inner edge of the side of the frame with the strip, a, and plate d. The above described arrangement is preferred, though when it is necessary that the blind shall be as thin as possible, a plate can be fastened on both sides, instead of rabbeting the frame as described, or when the thickness of the frame is unlimited the edge of the side pieces may be grooved, and the springs and stripplaced therein, this last method would require that the slats be put in their places before the `frame was pinned up, or finally put together, it is evident that both sides may be arranged in the same way, but one is suiicient in most cases; instead of springs, india rubber or any other suitable elastic material, may be forced in between the strip, and the side of the frame, so that the strip would be forced up against the ends or shoulders of the slats, by the elasticity of such elastic substance, in a similar manner that it would be by springs.

I do not intend to confine myself to any particular shape or number of springs, or to any particular quantity or quality of elastic material, nor yet to any particular shape or size of movable strip, or to one or more movable strips.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The method herein described, of preventing the slats, from rattling, and retaining them in any position in which they are placed by means of the movable strip pressed up by springs or other elastic substance, substantially as herein described.

JOHN HAMPSON.

VVitnessest CHARLES MAES, JAMES D. HoLLoWY. 

